There is continued interest in the defense industries to prepare new materials with high energy properties. It is of interest that the new materials would be similar to RDX, but much more insensitive from a safety standpoint to shaped charge jet attack. As a result, a considerable amount of work has been done over this last decade to develop new insensitive munitions or insensitive high explosives using new ingredients.
Both nitroguanidine and RDX have seen wide use as ingredients for gun, rocket and explosive formulations. Each material has advantages and disadvantages which tend to direct the end use application for each. RDX is extensively used because of its energy and low cost, but, it is more sensitive to shaped charge jet attack. Nitroguanidine, which also has the potential for low cost production, is a relatively insensitive material, but suffers from a comparatively low energy content.
Neither system meets all the goals and objectives of modern systems. No amount of formulation effort can really change the inherent nature of RDX or nitroguanidine. For that reason, the prior art does not contain an appropriate propellant which is safe and effective in use, particularly for artillery and tank gun uses.
It is therefore an object of this invention to provide a gun propellant suitable for both artillery and tank guns.
Another object of this invention is to provide a propellant system with increased energy and with insensitivity to shaped charge jet attack.
Yet another object of this invention is to provide improved impetus values and increased energy while keeping temperatures below tank and artillery application thresholds.
Other objects will appear hereinafter.